Central Falls High School is a well-known district in Rhode Island. It is infamous for being one of the worst-performing schools in the state (The Huffington Post, 2010)[1], being a school populated with security guards to keep the multicultural students in line. Not only has it been in need for improvement for nearly a decade, but many students fail to perform mastery at state tests and nearly the majority fail to graduate. As such, it has many problems with its educational system, such as failing to keep students motivated enough to graduate. A lack of competent teaching staff may affect the nearly horrifying rates of student achievement that blanch in comparison to the state, or even the nation. Though Central Falls provides many services for its diverse students, the money being poured into this district is not as high as other districts due to the low family income. The lack of family and community resources altogether can result in the notorious reputation of this school. The reserach being conducted encompasses the many factors that contributes to the lower performing standard of Central Falls, such as student achievement, teacher effectiveness, and outside influences. It is meant for anyone curious about the district of Central Falls and their notorious name.
School Demographics and Geography
Central Falls High School is located in Rhode Island, right on Summer Street. This high school is right near Jenks Park, and is near Doctor Earl F. Calcutt Middle School. It is easy to assume that the kids from that middle school most likely attend Central Falls now. Those who do attend Central Falls High School have a fifty-five percent chance of being Hispanic, and the high school is very proud about having a diverse population. Although there is a high amount of Hispanics, 30% of the students are white, while another 7% are African-American. Other races amount to a rough combined total of 3%. While this proves for a multicultural society, cultural and language barriers are detrimental to the students' achievement. (Rhode Island Department of Education, 2010)[2]
Student Achievement
In comparison to the rest of Rhode Island, Central Falls is in need of academic improvement. In fact, they have been in need of improving the quality of their education for nine years according to the standards set by No Child Left Behind. They reported insufficient progress, and did not make AYP -- only meeting eight targets out of fifteen. Targets that were met include the Language Arts portion, encompassing reading and writing, but the targets that were not met fall among the sciences and the maths.
Even though they passed the Language Arts portion, only 44% of kids passed their NECAP Reading examination, while 76% of the entire state was proficient. Writing turned out to be even lower, with only 23% proficiency as compared to Rhode Island's 51%. Since the Language Arts seemed to be the strongest area of Central Falls High School, it is no surprise that the SAT average for Reading was the highest out of Writing, Reading, and Mathematics. However, it was still low when looking at the scores on bigger scales. Central Falls averaged a score of 381 out of 800, while the entire state scored a hundred points above that, and the entire nation ten points above even that! Writing was second highest at the school, being a 376 in comparison to the nation's average of 489. (RIDE, 2010)[3]
Those are merely the bright points of Central Falls' Academics. Math and sciences plunge in percentages. Only 8% of the kids attending Central Falls were deemed proficient in mathematics, and an even lower 6% were able to comprehend sciences. Although the state did have low numbers overall, (33% and 26%, respectively) in comparison the numbers are just abysmal. Though surprisingly, the math average for the SAT (while being the lowest) does not differ drastically from the Reading and Writing SAT averages, being only 2 points below the SAT Writing Average at 374. That was one of Rhode Island's strong points, however, as they averaged a 482 while the entire nation proved to score 30 points above that. (RIDE, 2010)[4]
It is no surprise, then, that Central Falls does not seem to be equipped to prepare students for college. Only 15% of AP tests taken at Central Falls achieved college-level mastery. Over half the kids in Rhode Island who took an AP exam proved to have college-level mastery. Only 68 children were academically motivated to even take the exam, whom make up 1% of Rhode Island's total test takers. .3% of the Rhode Islanders who achieved college-level mastery via AP tests come from Central Falls. Due to these low numbers, it can be said that the majority of Central Falls' students are not prepared for college when and if they graduate. (RIDE, 2010)[5]
Family, Community, and Home Life
It can be insinuated that many of these students do not have the resources that the other Rhode Island schools have. Over 60% of Central Falls' population are eligible for subsidized lunch, while under half of all of Rhode Island is eligible. Therefore, students from Central Falls must come from low-income families, which can impact their ability to succeed academically. In addition to offering subsidized lunch to students, Central Falls also offers English as a Second Language or Bilingual Education services and Special Education Services. 12% of students receive this type of service, while nearly a quarter of students qualify for receiving Special Education. (RIDE, 2010)[6]
Teaching
Although the education overall is pretty abysmal, the statistics for Central Falls' teachers seem to be a working improvement. Two percent of teachers have emergency certification; which sounds terrible except when one compares it to the total of Rhode Island's one percent. Also, the teacher to student ratio is better in Central Falls than in the total of Rhode Island; a 1:9 ratio as compared to a 1:11 ratio respectively. This is probably because of the special needs that the students have, ranging from special education to the need of bilingual or ESL services. However, the unqualified teachers range up to 4% of Central Falls' total, while overall the state only had 3%. (RIDE, 2010)[7]
Safe and Supportive Schools
Central Falls High School does not seem to be supportive of its students, or it at least meets below the state's standard. It may because of an unsafe environment, as over 3% of all of suspended Rhode Island students come from Central Falls. 783 incidents in which a student was needed to be suspended occurred during an entire year alone! Although the attendance rate is 88%, absenteeism seems to be a problem. Central Falls deals with unmotivated students, as 41% of students are typically absent, and only half of the total graduating cohort actually graduate; the other 35% drop out, 10% still remain in school for another year, and the last 3 or 4% receive their GED. Even if over half the students graduate in five years, only 47.7% of people graduated in 2009. Despite the abysmal graduation rate, Central Falls has a relatively high stability index of 89% index, which is higher than the state. The mobility index is also 5% lower than the state average. Students at Central Falls seem to struggle to graduate, as 10% are still in school. (RIDE, 2010)[8]
Funding and Resources
Despite the commodities it tends to provide (such as ESL and Special Education services) the funding for this school is low, possibly because of its horrible graduation rates and lack of family income. The property value per student is just under $200,000, and per pupil expenditure is only $14,000. For comparison, the area of East Greenwich is over a million dollars property value per student. The taxes are also low, which can contribute to why the spending is low in the district as well. However, families don't seem to have enough to pay, as the median family income doesn't even top $27,000. In comparison, the median family income in East Greenwich is over triple that. The tax rate per a thousand dollars is only eight dollars, and the tax capacity is not even double that, being $15. (RIDE, 2010)[9]
Conclusion
The district is in need of improvement, and the entirety of Rhode Island seems to know it. The community grapples with its economic issues that cause funding to plunge and student achievement to plummet. Family life and consequently low income contibutes to the low scores of Central Falls, especially in the math and science department. The high amount of children needing ESL assistance can contribute to this; many American children struggle with math and science, which must be ten times harder when attempting to understand the concepts in a foreign language. Central Falls is a high school that is sprinkled with violence and a high suspension rate with the lack of safety in the school affecting its standing.
There is hope for Central Falls, however. The district has recently decided to rehaul its entire teaching staff, and is now going to rehire a new slew of more qualified teachers that are required to attend a two week training session in the summer. It also provides before and after school tutoring on school days that are now twenty-five minutes longer. Although that will only solve internal problems, at least the district is taking the first step to a better educational system. It is clear that Central Falls has a dream and is striving to achieve that goal; thus living up to their lofty title, 'The City of Dreams'. (The Huffington Post, 2010)[10]
^ Huffington Post. (2010, February 16). Central Falls High School To Fire Every
Single Teacher. HuffPost. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/
02/16/central-falls-high-school_n_464451.html
^ Rhode Island Department of Education. (2010). Central Falls High School. In InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
^ Rhode Island Department of Education. (2010). Central Falls High School. In InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
^ Rhode Island Department of Education. (2010). Central Falls High School. In InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
^ Rhode Island Department of Education. (2010). Central Falls High School. In InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
^ Rhode Island Department of Education. (2010). Central Falls High School. In InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
^ Rhode Island Department of Education. (2010). Central Falls High School. In InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
^ Rhode Island Department of Education. (2010). Central Falls High School. In InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
^ Rhode Island Department of Education. (2010). Central Falls High School. In InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
^ Huffington Post. (2010, February 16). Central Falls High School To Fire Every
Single Teacher. HuffPost. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/
02/16/central-falls-high-school_n_464451.html
Introduction
Central Falls High School is a well-known district in Rhode Island. It is infamous for being one of the worst-performing schools in the state (The Huffington Post, 2010)[1], being a school populated with security guards to keep the multicultural students in line. Not only has it been in need for improvement for nearly a decade, but many students fail to perform mastery at state tests and nearly the majority fail to graduate. As such, it has many problems with its educational system, such as failing to keep students motivated enough to graduate. A lack of competent teaching staff may affect the nearly horrifying rates of student achievement that blanch in comparison to the state, or even the nation. Though Central Falls provides many services for its diverse students, the money being poured into this district is not as high as other districts due to the low family income. The lack of family and community resources altogether can result in the notorious reputation of this school. The reserach being conducted encompasses the many factors that contributes to the lower performing standard of Central Falls, such as student achievement, teacher effectiveness, and outside influences. It is meant for anyone curious about the district of Central Falls and their notorious name.School Demographics and Geography
Central Falls High School is located in Rhode Island, right on Summer Street. This high school is right near Jenks Park, and is near Doctor Earl F. Calcutt Middle School. It is easy to assume that the kids from that middle school most likely attend Central Falls now. Those who do attend Central Falls High School have a fifty-five percent chance of being Hispanic, and the high school is very proud about having a diverse population. Although there is a high amount of Hispanics, 30% of the students are white, while another 7% are African-American. Other races amount to a rough combined total of 3%. While this proves for a multicultural society, cultural and language barriers are detrimental to the students' achievement. (Rhode Island Department of Education, 2010)[2] Student Achievement
In comparison to the rest of Rhode Island, Central Falls is in need of academic improvement. In fact, they have been in need of improving the quality of their education for nine years according to the standards set by No Child Left Behind. They reported insufficient progress, and did not make AYP -- only meeting eight targets out of fifteen. Targets that were met include the Language Arts portion, encompassing reading and writing, but the targets that were not met fall among the sciences and the maths.Even though they passed the Language Arts portion, only 44% of kids passed their NECAP Reading examination, while 76% of the entire state was proficient. Writing turned out to be even lower, with only 23% proficiency as compared to Rhode Island's 51%. Since the Language Arts seemed to be the strongest area of Central Falls High School, it is no surprise that the SAT average for Reading was the highest out of Writing, Reading, and Mathematics. However, it was still low when looking at the scores on bigger scales. Central Falls averaged a score of 381 out of 800, while the entire state scored a hundred points above that, and the entire nation ten points above even that! Writing was second highest at the school, being a 376 in comparison to the nation's average of 489. (RIDE, 2010)[3]
Those are merely the bright points of Central Falls' Academics. Math and sciences plunge in percentages. Only 8% of the kids attending Central Falls were deemed proficient in mathematics, and an even lower 6% were able to comprehend sciences. Although the state did have low numbers overall, (33% and 26%, respectively) in comparison the numbers are just abysmal. Though surprisingly, the math average for the SAT (while being the lowest) does not differ drastically from the Reading and Writing SAT averages, being only 2 points below the SAT Writing Average at 374. That was one of Rhode Island's strong points, however, as they averaged a 482 while the entire nation proved to score 30 points above that. (RIDE, 2010)[4]
It is no surprise, then, that Central Falls does not seem to be equipped to prepare students for college. Only 15% of AP tests taken at Central Falls achieved college-level mastery. Over half the kids in Rhode Island who took an AP exam proved to have college-level mastery. Only 68 children were academically motivated to even take the exam, whom make up 1% of Rhode Island's total test takers. .3% of the Rhode Islanders who achieved college-level mastery via AP tests come from Central Falls. Due to these low numbers, it can be said that the majority of Central Falls' students are not prepared for college when and if they graduate. (RIDE, 2010)[5]
Family, Community, and Home Life
It can be insinuated that many of these students do not have the resources that the other Rhode Island schools have. Over 60% of Central Falls' population are eligible for subsidized lunch, while under half of all of Rhode Island is eligible. Therefore, students from Central Falls must come from low-income families, which can impact their ability to succeed academically. In addition to offering subsidized lunch to students, Central Falls also offers English as a Second Language or Bilingual Education services and Special Education Services. 12% of students receive this type of service, while nearly a quarter of students qualify for receiving Special Education. (RIDE, 2010)[6]Teaching
Although the education overall is pretty abysmal, the statistics for Central Falls' teachers seem to be a working improvement. Two percent of teachers have emergency certification; which sounds terrible except when one compares it to the total of Rhode Island's one percent. Also, the teacher to student ratio is better in Central Falls than in the total of Rhode Island; a 1:9 ratio as compared to a 1:11 ratio respectively. This is probably because of the special needs that the students have, ranging from special education to the need of bilingual or ESL services. However, the unqualified teachers range up to 4% of Central Falls' total, while overall the state only had 3%. (RIDE, 2010)[7]Safe and Supportive Schools
Central Falls High School does not seem to be supportive of its students, or it at least meets below the state's standard. It may because of an unsafe environment, as over 3% of all of suspended Rhode Island students come from Central Falls. 783 incidents in which a student was needed to be suspended occurred during an entire year alone! Although the attendance rate is 88%, absenteeism seems to be a problem. Central Falls deals with unmotivated students, as 41% of students are typically absent, and only half of the total graduating cohort actually graduate; the other 35% drop out, 10% still remain in school for another year, and the last 3 or 4% receive their GED. Even if over half the students graduate in five years, only 47.7% of people graduated in 2009. Despite the abysmal graduation rate, Central Falls has a relatively high stability index of 89% index, which is higher than the state. The mobility index is also 5% lower than the state average. Students at Central Falls seem to struggle to graduate, as 10% are still in school. (RIDE, 2010)[8]Funding and Resources
Despite the commodities it tends to provide (such as ESL and Special Education services) the funding for this school is low, possibly because of its horrible graduation rates and lack of family income. The property value per student is just under $200,000, and per pupil expenditure is only $14,000. For comparison, the area of East Greenwich is over a million dollars property value per student. The taxes are also low, which can contribute to why the spending is low in the district as well. However, families don't seem to have enough to pay, as the median family income doesn't even top $27,000. In comparison, the median family income in East Greenwich is over triple that. The tax rate per a thousand dollars is only eight dollars, and the tax capacity is not even double that, being $15. (RIDE, 2010)[9] Conclusion
The district is in need of improvement, and the entirety of Rhode Island seems to know it. The community grapples with its economic issues that cause funding to plunge and student achievement to plummet. Family life and consequently low income contibutes to the low scores of Central Falls, especially in the math and science department. The high amount of children needing ESL assistance can contribute to this; many American children struggle with math and science, which must be ten times harder when attempting to understand the concepts in a foreign language. Central Falls is a high school that is sprinkled with violence and a high suspension rate with the lack of safety in the school affecting its standing.There is hope for Central Falls, however. The district has recently decided to rehaul its entire teaching staff, and is now going to rehire a new slew of more qualified teachers that are required to attend a two week training session in the summer. It also provides before and after school tutoring on school days that are now twenty-five minutes longer. Although that will only solve internal problems, at least the district is taking the first step to a better educational system. It is clear that Central Falls has a dream and is striving to achieve that goal; thus living up to their lofty title, 'The City of Dreams'. (The Huffington Post, 2010)[10]
Single Teacher. HuffPost. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/
02/16/central-falls-high-school_n_464451.html
InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
InfoWorks LIVE! Retrieved from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/
central-falls-high-school
Single Teacher. HuffPost. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/
02/16/central-falls-high-school_n_464451.html